1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of sports conditioning exercise machines, and more particularly to an exercise machine for conditioning athletes to forcefully move the hips in a roll and drive motion, pivot the upper torso relative to the lower body, and drive the body and arms forward through a resistive weight load while.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the sport of football, the most effective way to block an opposing player is to advance toward the opponent while moving horizontally in a crouched position, and upon making contact with the opponent, to exert an explosive twisting and pushing force on the opponent which tends to turn the opponent and push him to one side. The player doing the blocking must smoothly and quickly move his hips in a roll and drive motion, forcefully pivot the upper body relative to the lower body, and push the body and arms forward through the weight load to accomplish the most effective and powerful blocking movement. This explosive movement employs the legs, hips, lower back, lower abdominal, upper abdominal, rotator and side lateral muscle groups, chest, upper back, shoulders, arms, and groin area. This movement also requires the athlete to pull, turn and push while driving the hips and legs into the weight load.
A strong athlete is not necessarily a powerful athlete and strength alone will not achieve the best results on the field of play. In blocking actions, the explosive movement requires the athlete to turn and push a heavy resistive weight over a full range of rotational movement at a high rate of speed. While an athlete may acquire strength from lifting weights, powerful blocking technique requires performing multiple sets of repetitions of the desired movement at a predetermined weight load within a predetermined number of seconds.
While there are many devices which teach the art of blocking, none of these devices promotes the mastery of, or conditions the muscles in the manner utilized in the explosive hip roll, drive, and twisting motions described above. Most of the conventional blocking devices merely train a player to charge towards an object, and provide some resistance to the force exerted by the charging player.
There are several patents which disclose various exercise machines for conditioning and strengthening athletes and other apparatus particularly designed for training football players.
Brentham, U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,599 discloses an exercise device comprising a handle pivotally mounted on a frame with a hydraulic system connected to the handle to exert a regulated force restraining movement of the handle.
Telle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,010 discloses an exercise apparatus for developing selected muscles of the body comprising a rigid upright support having a first beam pivoted on a horizontal axis near the top of the support and a second beam similarly pivoted below the first beam. The two beams are connected by a telescopic link to move together. Handles and shoulder pads are provided for lifting the first beam and a weight holding rod on the outer end of the second beam receives a selected number of weights to be lifted. The rate of movement of the beams is maintained substantially constant by a hydraulic cylinder.
Palladino, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,103 discloses a training device for football players to train the user in the art of blocking. The apparatus includes a frame which defines an upwardly-sloping track, and a carriage which moves along the track. The carriage is connected by a pulley system to a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or the equivalent for imparting resistance to the movement of the carriage along the track.
Lundgren, U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,522 discloses an exercise machine comprising an operating bar which can be moved between operating positions at least 180 degrees apart, and a sprocket on the axis of motion carries a chain connected to a lever for exerting a near constant reaction force or torque. A bellcrank on the same axis carries weights that provide a variable force or torque on the movable bar. The user assumes one position to exercise the biceps and another position to exercise the triceps.
Fuller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,884 is my previous patent for an exercise machine which is particularly useful in developing the ability of an offensive or defensive lineman to smoothly and quickly pivot the upper body upwardly relative to the lower body by forcefully moving his hips in a roll and drive motion through a resistive weight load. The present invention is an improvement over my previous patent in that it incorporates structural elements which require the user to pull, turn, and push, and thus rotate the upper body relative to the lower body while also pivoting the upper body upwardly relative to the lower body by forcefully moving his hips in a roll and drive motion through a resistive weight load. This exercise strengthens the lower back, rotator, and side lateral muscle groups, as well as the groin area and other muscle groups.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by an exercise machine having a frame base with a platform at the rearward end upon which the athlete stands. A horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on a pair of vertical frame members near the forward end of the base has an upper central sprocket at its center and smaller sprockets at each end. A weight lever member pivotally connected to a pair of upright frame members extends forwardly therefrom and a number of weights are received on the outer end of the weight lever. A lower central sprocket is rotatably mounted between the upright frame members. A drive arm is arm pivotally connected at its bottom end to the platform. A handlebar rotatably mounted at the upper end of the drive arm is positioned a selective distance above the platform and has hand grips at each end. A first chain wrapped around the upper and lower central sprockets has its free end connected to the drive arm and a pair of second chains each wrapped around an outer sprocket in the opposite direction have their free ends connected to the weight lever member. When the drive arm is pushed pivotally outward by a force on the handlebar, it pulls the first chain down causing rotation of the upper central sprocket and outer sprockets which causes the second chains to pivot the weight lever member upward raising the weights at the outer end thereof and the weight thereof resisting the outward force applied to the handlebar.
The present exercise machine is particularly useful in developing the ability of an offensive or defensive lineman to smoothly and quickly roll his hips and pivot the upper body and forcefully move his body and arms in a lateral driving motion through a resistive weight load to accomplish the most effective and powerful blocking movement. The present invention conditions and strengthens the specific muscle groups employed in this explosive movement. The invention can also be used simply as an exercise machine, even by persons who are not trying to improve their blocking skills.